Retired Blues forward Keith Tkachuk was given the "No Guts, No Glory" Award by TSN in Canada on Sunday.

The sports television network awards the honor to a player that demonstrates courage by putting themselves in harm's way for the greater good of their teams.

In Tkachuk's case, he scored a goal vs. Chicago on Jan. 2 when a puck hit him in the face before trickling into the net. Tkachuk lost five teeth as a result. He missed just three games before returning from injury and faces extensive surgery.

Tkachuk shares the award with Washington's Niklas Backstrom.

In an article on TSN's website, the network said hockey players are often the toughest in sports as they endure "more hits, punches and injuries than anyone else, all on a thin piece of steel 1/8 of an inch thick at 40 km an hour."

Past winners of the "No Guts, No Glory" award include the Ranger's Martin Straka, the Stars' Stephane Robidas and former Blues defenseman Matt Walker.

Tkachuk officially announced his retirement from the game in April after 19 NHL seasons.

Tkachuk finishes his career with 1,201 games played, 538 goals and 527 assists (1,065 points). He is only the fourth player in NHL history to score 1,000 points and record more than 2,000 penalty minutes.

He played 543 games for the Blues, recording 427 points, which ranks him seventh all-time among Blues players. He ranks fifth in team history in goals (208).